Texte grec :
| [9,20] Ὁ δ´ ἕτερος, ὃν ἀληθέστερον εἶναι νομίζω
περί τε τῆς ἀπωλείας τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῆς ἁλώσεως
τοῦ φρουρίου, τοιόσδε τίς ἐστιν. ἐξιόντων ἐπὶ τὰς
προνομὰς τῶν ἀνδρῶν πολλάκις καὶ διὰ τὸ κατορθοῦν
ἐν ταῖς πείραις συνεχῶς προσωτέρω προχωρούντων οἱ
Τυρρηνοὶ παρεσκευασμένοι στρατιὰν συχνὴν ἐν τοῖς
ἔγγιστα χωρίοις λαθόντες τοὺς πολεμίους
κατεστρατοπέδευσαν. ἔπειτ´ ἀποστέλλοντες ἐκ τῶν
χωρίων ποίμνας τε καὶ βουκόλια καὶ φορβάδων ἀγέλας
ἵππων ἐπὶ νομὴν τῷ λόγῳ προὐκαλοῦντο τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐπὶ
ταῦτα· οἱ δ´ ἐξιόντες τούς τ´ ἀνθρώπους συνήρπαζον καὶ τὰ
βοσκήματα περιήλαυνον. τοῦτο συνεχῶς οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ
ποιοῦντες καὶ προαγόμενοι τοὺς πολεμίους ἀεὶ
προσωτέρω τοῦ χάρακος, ἐπειδὴ διέφθειραν αὐτῶν τὸ
προνοητικὸν τοῦ ἀσφαλοῦς ταῖς συνεχέσιν ὠφελείαις
δελεάσαντες, ἐγκαθίζουσι λόχους ἐν τοῖς ἐπικαίροις τῶν
χωρίων νύκτωρ, καὶ ἕτεροι τὰς ὑπερδεξίους τῶν πεδίων
καταλαμβάνονται σκοπιάς· τῇ δ´ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ
προπέμψαντες ὀλίγους τινὰς ἐνόπλους, ὡς δὴ φυλακῆς
ἕνεκα τῶν νομέων, ἀφῆκαν ἐκ τῶν χωρίων πολλὰς ἀγέλας.
ὡς δ´ ἀπηγγέλη τοῖς Φαβίοις, ὅτι τοὺς πλησίον
ὑπερβαλόντες λόφους ἐν ὀλίγῳ δή τινι χρόνῳ μεστὸν
εὑρήσουσι τὸ πεδίον παντοίων βοτῶν, καὶ τὴν φυλάττουσαν
αὐτὰ χεῖρα οὐχ ἱκανήν, ἐξῆλθον ἐκ τοῦ φρουρίου φυλακὴν
τὴν ἀρκοῦσαν ἐν αὐτῷ καταλιπόντες· καὶ διανύσαντες
σπουδῇ καὶ μετὰ προθυμίας τὴν ὁδὸν ἐπιφαίνονται τοῖς
φύλαξι τῶν βοσκημάτων συντεταγμένοι·
κἀκεῖνοι οὐ δεξάμενοι αὐτοὺς ἔφευγον. οἱ δὲ Φάβιοι,
ὡς ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ δὴ ὄντες, τούς τε νομεῖς συνελάμβανον
καὶ τὰ βοσκήματα περιήλαυνον. ἐν δὲ τούτῳ οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ
ἐκ τῆς ἐνέδρας ἀναστάντες κατὰ πολλὰ χωρία
προσπίπτουσιν αὐτοῖς πανταχόθεν. καὶ οἱ μὲν πλείους
τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐσκεδασμένοι καὶ ἀλλήλοις ἀμύνειν οὐχ
οἷοί τ´ ὄντες, ἐνταῦθ´ ἀπόλλυνται. ὅσοι δ´ αὐτῶν
συνεστηκότες ἦσαν προθυμούμενοί τι καταλαβέσθαι
χωρίον ἀσφαλὲς καὶ πρὸς τὰ ὄρη σπεύδοντες εἰς ἕτερον
ἐμπίπτουσι λόχον ἐν ὕλαις καὶ νάπαις ὑποκαθήμενον.
καὶ γίνεται αὐτῶν μάχη καρτερὰ καὶ φόνος ἐξ ἑκατέρων
πολύς. ἀπεώσαντο δ´ οὖν καὶ τούτους ὅμως, καὶ
πληρώσαντες τὴν φάραγγα νεκρῶν ἀνέδραμον ἐπὶ λόφον
οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἁλῶναι· ἐν ᾧ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα ἄποροι
τῶν ἀναγκαίων ηὐλίσαντο.
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Traduction française :
| [9,20] The other account concerning the destruction of the Fabii and the capture of
the fortress, which I regard as being nearer to the truth, is somewhat as follows. As
the men went out frequently to forage and, encouraged by the continued success of
their forays, advanced even farther, the Tyrrhenians got ready a numerous army and
encamped in the near neighbourhood unperceived by the enemy. Then, sending out
of their strongholds flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and drove of mares as if to
pasture, they lured the garrison to these; and the men, coming out, seized the
herdsmen and rounded up the cattle.The Tyrrhenians kept doing this and drawing
the enemy ever farther away from their camp; then, when they had destroyed in them
all thought for their safety by enticing them with constant booty, they placed
ambuscades at night in the most suitable positions, while others occupied the heights
that commanded the plains. The next day, sending ahead a few armed men, as if to
serve as a guard for the herdsmen, they drove out a large number of herds (p359) from
their strongholds.When word was brought to the Fabii that if they went over the
neighbouring hills they would in a very short time find the plain covered with cattle of
all sorts with a guard insufficient to defend them, they went out of the fortress,
leaving an adequate garrison there. And covering the distance speedily in their
eagerness, they appeared before the guards of the cattle in battle array. These did not
await their attack, but fled, and the Fabii, thinking themselves now quite secure, set
about seizing the herdsmen and rounding up the cattle.Thereupon the Tyrrhenians,
rising up from ambush in many places, fell upon them from all sides. The greater part
of the Romans, being scattered and unable to assist one another, were killed upon the
spot; but those who were in a body, being eager to reach a secure position and
hastening toward the hills, fell into another ambuscade that lay concealed in the
woods and glens. Here a sharp battle took place between them and there was great
slaughter on both sides. But nevertheless they repulsed even these foes, and after
filling the ravine with dead bodies, they ran up to the top of a hill that was not easy to
take, and there passed the following night in want of the necessary provisions.
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